From: lessgovt@gmail.com   
      
   Russia is larger than both the United States and China in terms of total land   
   area, therefore its rail density (rail tracking/country area) is lower   
   compared to those two countries. Since Russia's population density is also   
   much lower than that of China    
   and the United States, the Russian railways carry freight and passengers over   
   very long distances, often through vast, nearly empty spaces. Coal and coke   
   make up almost one-third of the freight traffic and have average hauls of   
   around 1,500 kilometers,    
   while ferrous metals make up another 10 percent of freight traffic and travel   
   an average of over 1,900 kilometers. Railroads are often key to getting   
   supplies shipped to remote parts of the country as many people do not have   
   access to other reliable    
   means of shipping.   
      
   Like most railways, rail transport in Russia carries both freight and   
   passengers. It is one of the most freight-dominant railways in the world,   
   behind only Canada, the United States, and Estonia in the ratio of freight   
   ton-kilometers to passenger-   
   kilometers. However, per head of population intercity passenger travel is far   
   greater than the United States (which has the lowest long-distance passenger   
   train usages in the developed world).   
      
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Russia   
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